Fedor Evtikhiev: a hairy man from Kostroma

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Fedor Evtikhiev had a rare disease - hypertrichosis. In the 19th century, he became famous by performing in the circus of "freaks" and showing his ailment to the public.

Now the causes of a rare genetic disease of hypertrichosis, or simply excessive hairiness, are already known, and there are many of them - from hormonal disruption to a malfunction of the nervous system. But at the end of the 19th century, there was no explanation for it. It was believed that this is an atavism that brings "hairy" people closer to animals. They were called "dog people" - most often the entire face, neck, shoulders and back were covered with hair.

The Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary of the late 19th century gives rare examples of people with "hairiness" by name - Adrian Evtikhiev and a certain boy Fyodor who was with him. “Both Evtikhiev and Fyodor have long and smooth hair covering their forehead, nose and ears,” they say in the dictionary.

Hairy people from Kostroma

Adrian Evtikhiev and the same boy Fyodor Petrov were born in neighboring villages near the town of Manturovo in the Kostroma region, according to the local history museum. Adrian was married and had two children, but they died early - it is not known exactly whether they had hypertrichosis. The scandalous fame about Adrian's unusual appearance spread throughout the country and reached Moscow - he was studied by anthropologists from the university.

“The whole face of Evtikheev, not excluding the eyelids and ears, was covered with shaggy, thin, silky-soft wool of a light ashy color, half a finger long and more,” the zoologist Fyodor Brandt described Adrian.

It is not known exactly how fate brought Adrian to the young Fyodor, another "hairy Kostroma", but a certain entrepreneur invited them to perform together at fairs. They were introduced as father and son - and this exotic duo was an incredible success with the public. Adrian even gave Fedor his last name, took care of him and became his adoptive father. What happened to Fedor's real parents is unknown.

“The hair on his head was dark blond, light reddish on his forehead, and pale yellow-gray in the lower part of his face. On the trunk and limbs, with the exception of the hands, feet, neck and inner surface of the arms, the hair was almost colorless, thick, up to 6 centimeters long,”Brandt wrote about Fedor.

Touring the world

In 1883, Adrian and Fedor were invited to perform abroad: they became the stars of European freak shows, performed in Paris, Berlin and other metropolitan venues.

Their performances brought in incredible money for the entrepreneur. Adrian behaved like a real star and according to some sources, his "rider" was sauerkraut and vodka. He soon died of alcoholism.

Fedor continued to perform and even surpassed European success - the famous American entrepreneur Phineas Barnum invited the teenager to his circus, where there was already a dwarf man, a certain "mermaid" and Siamese twins.

Fedor fit perfectly into the show, which Barnum proclaimed "The Greatest on Earth" (based on the story of Barnum, the film "The Greatest Showman" was shot with Hugh Jackman). The boy was given the nickname Jo-Jo, and the fame of the "dog-faced man" spread throughout America. In a Kentucky newspaper in 1886, he was named one of the most interesting living "freaks."

In addition, Barnum came up with a stage legend for the boy's presentation to intrigue the audience. Fyodor was allegedly found by hunters in the deep Kostroma forest, where he and his hairy father lived in a hole like wild animals. According to legend, the fierce father, who rushed at the hunters, had to be shot, and the boy was taken to America … Barnum allegedly personally tamed the wild boy. To complete the legend, Fedor growled, grinned and even tore raw meat with his teeth - to the delight of the audience.

According to the testimony of people who knew Fedor, in reality he was a well-mannered and educated person, he knew several languages. He never started a family, was modest, led a quiet life and read a lot.

After almost 20 years of successful performances, Fedor became sad and wanted to return to his homeland - he even sent letters through the consulates, where he asked to know about the fate of his mother. But the entrepreneur did not let go of the star of the show, who brought in a lot of money, and Fedor continued to perform.

In 1903, while on tour in Greece, the young man fell ill with pneumonia and died.